Twenty-one prominent social scientists and practitioners from around the nation will explore topics including Bush’s foreign and domestic policies Nov. 22

VILLANOVA, Pa., Nov. 13, 2008 – With the historic 2008 Presidential Election having reached its conclusion, Villanova University will host a comprehensive full-day conference examining the presidency of George W. Bush. On Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in Villanova’s Connelly Center, 21 prominent social scientists and practitioners from around the country representing diverse political views will explore the Bush presidency and administration. Free and open to the public, the conference is sponsored by Villanova University, the University of Arkansas and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Highlighting the conference’s slate of speakers are John J. Dilulio, Alvin S. Felzenberg and William A. Galston. DiIulio, former director of the White House’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, will provide the keynote address titled Mayberry Machiavellis After All? Why Judging George W. Bush’s Presidency Is Never So Easy as It Seems. Felzenberg, who served as principal spokesman for the 9/11 commission, has held several positions in the Bush Administration including adviser to the U.S. Departments of Defense and State. Galston, a prominent political scientist, was a domestic policy adviser for the Clinton Administration.

The conference also features distinguished Villanova University faculty members Lara Brown and Michael Moreland. Brown, an assistant professor in the Villanova University Political Science Department, is an expert on topics such as presidential aspirants, political parties, congressional incumbents and national elections. Moreland is an assistant professor in the Villanova School of Law. Before joining the Villanova faculty, he was Associate Director for Domestic Policy at the White House, where he was responsible for coordinating policy development on a range of legal issues, including immigration, crime, civil rights and tort reform.

Robert Maranto, a former Villanova Political Science faculty member who recently accepted the 21st Century Chair in Leadership in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, will participate in the conference in addition to serving as one of the conference’s directors.

A book based on the conference will be published by Stanford University Press in 2009.

Villanova University, a co-educational Roman Catholic institution, was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842. A premier institution of higher education, Villanova provides a comprehensive education rooted in the liberal arts; a shared commitment to the Augustinian ideals of truth, unity and love; and a community dedicated to service to others. A wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered through the University’s four colleges: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering and the College of Nursing, as well as the Villanova School of Law. With a total enrollment that surpasses 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students, Villanova is the oldest and largest Catholic university in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information see www.villanova.edu.

Fighting Two Wars
Jack Covarrubias, University of Southern Mississippi
Tom Lansford, University of Southern Mississippi

3:45 PM

QUESTION & ANSWER
Moderated by David Barrett

4:15 PM

SESSION V: JUDGING GEORGE W. BUSH
Missed Opportunities: Conflict and Polarization in the Bush Years
William Galston, Brookings Institution and University of Maryland
Comments by Al Felzenberg, University of Pennsylvania

4:45 PM

FINAL QUESTION & ANSWERModerated by Catherine Warrick, Villanova University
Robert Maranto, University of Arkansas.

About Villanova

Villanova University was founded in 1842 by the Order of St. Augustine. To this day, Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition is the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University’s six colleges.